


Tailspinners

by rhysiana



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-College Professionals, Holster just loves dogs a lot okay?, M/M, and Keith the literacy betta fish, doctor!ransom, librarian!bitty, literacy dog non-profit!Holster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 06:31:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7833934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhysiana/pseuds/rhysiana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Holster runs a literacy non-profit, Ransom is a pediatrician new to town, and Bitty is the Youth Services librarian who brings them together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tailspinners

**Author's Note:**

> (Originally posted on [Tumblr](http://rhysiana.tumblr.com/post/147976145773/tailspinners).) I was talking to @omgericzimmermann about Holsom AU ideas, and then I saw [this post about a guy reading Harry Potter to a dog in Central Park](http://redporkpadthai.tumblr.com/post/147959193580/satanstrousers-i-experienced-magic-in-central) and my first thought was “It’s Holster!” and then this happened. Please imagine our favorite giant blond dork surrounded by his pack of elderly literacy dogs. They get story time every day, even if they’re not working an event. He insists they have to keep in practice. (They’re currently working on The Raven Cycle for their at-home reading. The Adam and Ronan characters remind Holster of these two bickering idiots on his college hockey team.)

A new Youth Services librarian had started at the local library over the summer, and he was _enthusiastic_ about his outreach programs. Adam didn’t think he’d ever had someone try to hard-sell him on doing a literacy event before. It was like the guy didn’t believe he could take yes for an answer.

Adam held his hands up to try to stem the flow of words. “Mr. Bittle–”

“Oh, Eric, please!”

“Eric. Seriously, just tell me the dates and I’ll be there, I swear! With as many dogs as you think the library can reasonably accommodate. I’m honestly thrilled at the opportunity, and I’m looking forward to the possibility of this being a regular thing.”

“I–really?”

“Yes, really, I promise. This is exactly the kind of community visibility I’ve been trying to build since I started. Your predecessor was just, uh…” He searched desperately for something tactful to say.

“More traditional in her approach,” Eric offered.

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

Eric grinned at him and handed him an already drawn up schedule for the day. “So it won’t be until October, because I still have to coordinate a bunch of other stuff, plus I wanted to have flu shots, because they’re really so important, and I’m not just saying that because I’m the one who has to work with the adorable little germ vectors all day, but I’m really looking forward to having you there! If you want to come by sometime in the next several weeks, we can figure out the best place to have the dog reading stations that are kind of isolated in case there are people with allergies, which I really hope won’t be too big of a problem because this is such a great way to encourage literacy, it really is, and…”

“Whoa, whoa, I got you, it’s fine. Several of my dogs are even poodle crosses whose families gave them up after they realized even designer hypoallergenic dogs weren’t for them. It’s a thing I’m prepared for, believe me. Plus, for kids who are extra allergic and don’t want to be left out, I have a betta fish.”

“Really?”

“Really. He’s super colorful, and he swims right up to the side of the glass when people are around. He’s the most dog-like fish I could have imagined.”

“Oh, I’m so glad. This is going to be great! I’ll see you soon!”

***

The library’s Fall Festival finally arrived. Adam had managed to fill some of the time in the interim with establishing a new regular routine at the nearby retirement home, and was working with the guidance counselors at the high school to set up community service hours for student volunteers (trial run today!), but he was still hopeful the library event would lead to some more recognition for the program. He was going to have to renew his grants eventually.

He’d finally gotten all the dogs settled at their various stations around the library (each with a high school volunteer to supervise, though they were all super chill dogs, honestly, those kids were getting such easy service hours), so he took a moment to look at the other service providers Eric had ~~coerced~~ convinced to come: cooking class sign-up with the local co-op, a tool display and general information on hours and classes from the local makerspace, a woman giving basic introductory lessons on how to use a sewing machine from the quilting store, and… hello! The doctor giving flu shots was _smokin’ hot_. He should definitely go introduce himself. 

He waited for a break between vaccinees (that was a word, right? probably not, but he was going with it), then marched over and held out his hand. “Adam Birkholtz. I take it you’re the doctor Eric roped into doing his flu shots.”

The other guy (the beautifully sculpted, perfectly proportioned, with cheekbones to die for _man_ , not just “guy,” Adam, come on) peeled off the gloves he was wearing and trashed them before shaking Adam’s hand. (His hand was dry from the powder in the gloves, but warm, with a firm grip, oh god, he was gone, so gone.) “Justin Oluransi, pediatrician. Well, general family practice, really, but there seems to be more of a need for a pediatrician here.”

“Oh? Did you just move to town?”

“Yeah, a couple months ago. I had just started having regular hours when Eric came in. I was honestly happy to be asked. Seems like a good way to get my name out into the community.”

“Same. I mean, not my name, but my organization.”

“Which group are you here with?”

“Oh, right! Tailspinners is mine.”

Justin’s face lit up. “You brought all the dogs! That’s awesome. It’s a literacy program, right?”

“Yeah! The idea is to get kids to read out loud to the dogs so they can develop confidence in their reading ability without feeling the pressure of reading to other people. Dogs don’t judge. And the dogs are all old, so they just love the attention.”

“Nice.” Justin’s attention focused beyond him for a moment, and Adam looked over his shoulder to see a mom and two kids waiting for flu shots.

“Oh, sorry! You go right ahead.”

He stepped to the side to let the mother settle the first kid on the chair in front of Justin as he put on new gloves and drew up the vaccine dose. “It’ll be so quick, honey, I promise,” she said, but Adam could see the tears already forming. He knelt down beside her chair and met Justin’s eyes briefly with a smile. 

“Hey, do you like dogs?” he asked her.

“Y-yes.” Justin quickly swabbed her arm.

“I brought a whole bunch of them to the library today. Do you think you’d like to read a book to one of them after this? They really like to listen to stories. You can pick any book you want. What’s your favorite?”

The shot was done before the child even knew it had happened. “Do you think they like _One Fish, Two Fish_?”

“You know what, I think that is actually Angus’s very favorite book? Let’s go see!” Adam rose and held out his hand.

The little girl looked surprised. “I still have to get my shot.”

“Nope,” said Justin cheerfully. “It’s all done! Why don’t you go with Mr. Birkholtz and meet Angus?”

“We’ll be right over in that corner,” Adam told her mother, who smiled and mouthed “Thank you” at him as she settled her toddler in her lap.

***

Justin watched the improbably large, built, blond man, who was surely too good with children to be real, lead his patient off to meet an Irish setter.

“He’s cute, right?” said the mother in front of him.

He blinked and came back to Earth. “Most definitely.”

“Go for it!”

“What?”

“He’s single. Believe me, the town grapevine has checked.”

“But… does the grapevine know if he likes men?”

“Honey, the way he was flirting with you when I came over? I don’t think there’s a question.”

“Um, thanks,” Justin said, swabbing the toddler’s arm. This kid seemed much more chill with the whole shot-getting process.

“Sorry. I plan to be a lot less of a nosy busybody when I can get both of the kids into school at the same time. I haven’t started using binoculars to spy out my kitchen window yet, but it’s a near thing.”

Justin laughed. “Here, take a card. I’m sure you’re probably happy with your current pediatrician, but I actually have a general practice, so if you’re looking for someone for the whole family…”

“Are you kidding? I’ll switch practices just to find out what happens with you and the hot blond giant!”

Justin was extremely glad he couldn’t visibly blush. The woman encouraged the toddler to wave good-bye to him and then they went off to meet Angus and listen to some Dr. Seuss.

***

By the end of the festival, Adam had managed to talk to Justin probably a dozen more times under the guise of leading kids to various dogs (and fish) after getting a shot. He was just signing the last community service form for one of the high schoolers when Justin came over.

“Here you go, Holly. Thanks for your help.”

“Thanks, Mr. Birkholtz! This was actually fun.”

He was still smiling from the teenage backhanded compliment when he turned back to Justin. “I just wanted to see if you needed any help with the dogs.”

“Oh, thanks! They’re really not that hard to handle, but you could carry Keith for me.”

“Keith?”

“Keith the literacy betta fish,” Adam said, handing Justin the fishbowl.

“Oh, of course.” Justin held the bowl up in front of his face to inspect Keith, who swam over to inspect him in turn. “He’s pretty.”

“And he likes you! Look at him making eyes. He has good taste.”

“Much like his owner.”

Adam immediately blushed. He tried to cover it by pushing his glasses back up his nose, though they didn’t really need it. “I… uh…” He cleared his throat to try again.

Justin beat him to it. “Would you like to get dinner sometime?”

“Yes,” Adam answered immediately.

Justin let out a relieved breath. “Thank god. I’m not usually this, uh, forward? But that first kid’s mom said you were flirting with me, and I just… feel like there’s something here I’ll regret forever if I miss out on it.”

“Same, bro,” Adam breathed, eyes wide. He thought he’d just watched one too many rom-coms.

Just as he had that thought, Max, his enormous Great Dane, shouldered him in the back of the knees, causing him to stumble and have to catch himself on Justin’s shoulders. Justin’s very firm, muscular shoulders. Justin, who didn’t even stagger, and kept a solid hold on Keith’s fishbowl. Could there be a more perfect man? They stared at each other, tension palpable, and then Adam decided to embrace the cliché and kissed him. 

It was perfect. It was both electrically new and like they’d known each other for years. He never wanted to stop.

Justin drew back with a shaky sigh. “Do you want to maybe get that dinner _now_?”

“ _Yes_. Uh, I mean, I need to drop the dogs off at the house, but _yes_.”

Justin blinked a few times. “Oh, yeah, good call. I gotta drop all the leftover vaccine and the sharps off at my office anyway. But we can meet up at…”

“Pucinella’s,” they said in unison.

“…in an hour?” Justin finished as he and Adam grinned at each other like loons.

“It’s a date.”

“You bet your ass it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> *Is the Youth Services Bitty depicted here the one from @marswithghosts‘s [A Little Bit Closer](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7289398/chapters/16553278)? Well, no, because this is clearly happening in a smaller town than Boston, but if you need more librarian Bitty, you should definitely go read that.  
> *And just because I like to include fan art inspiration whenever possible, here's @unchillnursey's [delightful depiction of Holster and Ransom with dogs](http://unchillnursey.tumblr.com/post/147128876699/these-boys-are-such-dog-people-their-puppies-will).  
> *Credit to M for coming up with the name of Holster's charity, because he would totally include a tale/tail pun in the name.


End file.
